adminGeorge Maponga Masvingo Bureau
The zanu-pf Youth League here has embarked on a massive campaign aimed at consolidating unity in three key constituencies where ruling party structures were still to close ranks and pull in the same direction following differences over primary elections in the province.
There are fears that fissures caused by zanu-pf internal polls in Chiredzi West, Bikita East and Bikita South might curtail efforts to make sure the ruling party wins resoundingly in the three constituencies unless all party structures work in unison.
In Bikita East, former Pamushana High School headmaster Cde Johnson Madhuku is the ruling party’s National Assembly candidate, while another ex-headmaster Cde Josaya Sithole also happens to be zanu-pf’s National Assembly candidate in the same constituency.
Ex-Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe agriculture planning director Cde Farai Muskivanhu is the zanu-pf candidate for Chiredzi West constituency.
Incumbent Chiredzi West legislator Cde Darlington Chiwa filed to contest the July 30 election against Cde Musikavanhu as an independent candidate, alleging that he rigged the primaries.
zanu-pf Masvingo Youth League chair Cde Brine Munyoro said the league was concerned about the three constituencies and wanted to rally party structures to support the ruling party in the coming harmonised elections.
Cde Munyoro said a series of rallies were expected to start on Wednesday in the three constituencies.
“We identified three constituencies namely Bikita East and Bikita South together with Chiredzi West where we want to hold a series of campaign rallies beginning on Wednesday because we are not very happy with the state of affairs on the ground with regards to unity of all party forces,” he said.
“Our investigations have showed there are still some grey areas in the three constituencies that we need to deal with and the rallies we are holding are aimed at driving home the point that zanu-pf is bigger than everyone and all genuine party cadres should rally behind the official party candidate.”
The zanu-pf Masvingo Youth League chair said their campaign would target mainly youths in Chiredzi West and the general populace in Bikita South and Bikita East.
“We have already taken our campaign to Gutu East where there were problems and we are satisfied with the state of affairs now. Our message throughout is to urge party members to put zanu-pf first so that the ruling party and its presidential candidate win resoundingly,” he said.
Cde Munyoro said zanu-pf was assured of a clean sweep in all the 26 National Assembly seats in the province, but want the margins to be big to show the world that the revolutionary party under President Mnangagwa was now a reinvigorated formidable force.
Bikita East, Bikita South and Chiredzi West are part of few constituencies in the province where the ruling party campaign juggernaut was struggling to efficiently roll because of unresolved differences over zanu-pf internal polls.
However, the ruling party leadership led by President Mnangagwa has repeatedly called on party members to let bygones be bygones and put the interests of the party ahead of their own.
The zanu-pf leadership here has promised to bag all the 26 National Assembly seats just like in the 2013 polls, but this time with a runaway margin.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter